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Annual Meeting

1999 Annual Meeting to Be Held in Washington, DC

AHA Staff, September 1998

The 113th Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association will be held in Washington, D.C., at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel (formerly the Sheraton Washington) and the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Hotel reservation information is included on pages 12 and 13 of this issue. The meeting preregistration form will be in the October issue.

The Program of the annual meeting will be mailed to members during the first week of October and will also contain a copy of the meeting preregistration form and housing information.

Many of the profession's most distinguished members will be present to deliver papers and more than 800 scholars, including 70 foreign scholars, will participate in the three-day meeting. In addition, over three dozen specialized societies will meet in conjunction with the AHA. Each society will hold its own sessions, luncheons, and/or meetings, as well as some joint sessions with the AHA. Joseph C. Miller of the University of Virginia will deliver the presidential address the evening of January 8, and the Association's book awards, Awards for Scholarly Distinction, the Eugene Asher Distinguished Teaching Award, the Beveridge Family Teaching Prize, the John E. O'Connor Film Award, the Nancy Lyman Roelker Mentorship Award, and the 1998 Honorary Foreign Membership will be announced.

Accommodations

The AHA annual meeting sessions as well as affiliated society sessions and events are scheduled in the Marriott Wardman Park and the Omni Shoreham hotels. Blocks of rooms have been reserved at several hotels: the Marriott, the Shoreham, the Renaissance Mayflower, the Washington Hilton, the Days Inn Connecticut Avenue, and the George Washington University Inn. The Marriott Wardman Park, located at 2600 Woodley Road at Connecticut Avenue, NW, will serve as headquarters and will house the AHA book exhibits, the Job Register, and some AHA and affiliate sessions. The Omni Shoreham, at 2500 Calvert Street, NW, directly across the street from the Marriott, will serve as coheadquarters and will accommodate AHA sessions and affiliate events. In addition, blocks of rooms have been reserved at the Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Avenue, NW, and the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW. Rates at these properties are $88 single and $99 double.

Blocks of rooms have also been reserved at the Days Inn Connecticut Avenue, located at 4400 Connecticut Avenue, NW, and the George Washington University Inn, located at 824 New Hampshire Avenue, NW. Special rates have been negotiated with both properties for cost-conscious attendees (such as students). Be aware that both these hotels are a subway, bus, or taxi ride from the meeting sites.

All rooms are subject to local taxes of 14.5 percent per room, per night.

Making a Hotel Reservation

Hotel reservations must be made exclusively through the meeting housing service using the toll-free number: 1 (800) 535-3336 for U.S. and Canadian participants. Washington metro area and international attendees should call (202) 842-2930. You may call between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. International attendees may also fax reservation requests to (202) 289-8079. Please note that only international fax requests will be honored; U.S. and Canadian attendees must use the metro area or "800" number to make reservations. The Washington, D.C., Convention and Visitors Association was the nation's first bureau to offer this toll-free "800" hotel reservation process for conventions.

The reservation agent will have information about Washington, D.C., including airport, climate, and general tourist information, and about the hotels--including location, check in/check out, acceptance of credit cards, taxes, proximity to airports, and detailed amenity information (such as health club and restaurant descriptions and prices). The housing service offers confirmations by fax or mail. The cutoff date to make reservations is December 14 (December 4 for the Omni Shoreham and the Days Inn).

Deposit

All guests will be required to pay a standard $100 deposit per room reservation requested. This will be accepted by credit card immediately or by check payment. If payment is to be by check, an invoice is sent out within 24 hours of the reservation. The deposit check is due within 15 days of receipt of the invoice.

Changes, Cancellations, and Refunds

The housing service will process all new, changed, and canceled reservations prior to the cutoff date of December 14 (December 4 for the Omni Shoreham and the Days Inn). You should contact the housing service, not your hotel, to make changes or to cancel before these dates. Attendees can change or cancel reservations anytime before December 14 (December 4 for the Omni Shoreham and the Days Inn) without penalty. The housing service will process any necessary credits and debits of deposit prior to the cutoff dates.

After December 14 (December 4 for the Omni Shoreham and the Days Inn), all changes or cancellations for all existing reservations will be made by your hotel. The hotels are responsible for all refunds after the cutoff date. At cutoff, the housing service transfers deposits along with rooming lists of all secured reservations to the hotels.

A $10 processing fee is deducted from all cancellations refunded after December 14 (and December 4 for the Omni Shoreham and the Days Inn). Also, the attendee will forfeit the full advance deposit if cancellation is made within three days prior to arrival.

Making Travel Arrangements

By Air

The AHA encourages participants to make flight arrangements through Association Travel Concepts (ATC), the AHA's official travel agent for the meeting. When booking through ATC, you will receive 5 to 10 percent off the ticketed price on the AHA's contracted carrier, United Airlines (Fare Order # 524HV). You can also arrange to rent a car through Alamo Rent-A-Car, with discounted rates effective from January 4-13, 1999. Contact ATC at (800) 458-9383.

Airports serving the Washington, D.C., area: The nation's capital is served by two international airports, Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), approximately 38 miles north of Washington, and Dulles International Airport, approximately 30 miles west of Washington. Washington is also served by a smaller, close-in airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, located in Arlington, Virginia.

All airports offer excellent ground transportation throughout the day with service available between airports and the hotels. Taxis, vans, limousines, motorcoaches, or rental cars are available. BWI offers Amtrak rail service to Washington; at National, the Washington Metrorail system offers convenient intracity transportation.

National is a 15-minute taxi ride to downtown Washington and has undergone major reconstruction and renovation. Taxi, motorcoach, and van services are available. Washington's subway system, Metrorail, can also be used between National Airport and the downtown area. National is located directly on Metrorail's Blue and Yellow Lines.